The field of the present invention is that of rainhats for heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning inlets on automotive vehicles.
Virtually all vehicles manufactured today have a heating and ventilation system for the interior of the vehicle. Additionally, virtually all vehicles manufactured in North America also come equipped with an air-conditioning system. To facilitate the environmental health and comfort of the vehicle occupants, fresh air must be brought into the vehicle interior. Several technical challenges are presented in bringing in fresh air into the vehicle. First, the fresh air intake should be located in an area of the vehicle such that it cannot suck in any fumes from the engine compartment. Secondly, the fresh air intake should be positioned in a location that snow or frozen precipitation cannot clog it up. Additionally, the air intake should be protected so that precipitation and/or leaves or other various debris and does not enter into the heating, air-conditioning and ventilation system.
Most vehicles place the engine in the front end of the vehicle. Behind the engine compartment is a sealed interior of the vehicle which is provided by a fire wall. Above the fire wall and inclined rearwardly from the top of the fire wall is the windshield. Extending forwardly from the base of the windshield and on top of the fire wall is a generally flat region called the cowling. The cowling is covered by the rear portion of the front hood which also extends across the engine compartment. The lower portion of the hood has a seal molding which seals the engine compartment from the remainder of the cowling. However, the engine hood is spaced away from the windshield allowing air to enter into the cowling area from behind the front hood. Typically, the air intake for most vehicles is placed in the cowling area since the cowling area is opened to the atmosphere, covered by the front hood but yet sealed away from the engine compartment by the molding of the front hood. The cowling typically has a flared opening for the air inlet for the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system. Air from the air inlet is piped into the interior of the vehicle below the dashboard where it is appropriately heated, cooled and/or filtered to meet the environmental and comfort requirements of the vehicle occupants. Although the cowling is covered, it is exposed to the environment and rain falling down the windshield does enter the cowling area until it is diverted to the sides away from the cowling. To prevent the water which accumulates in the cowling area from entering into the inlet for the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system, a rainhat is provided. Prior to the present invention, the rainhat included a tubular-shaped member having a bottom flat flange. The tubular shaped member was inserted over a flared opening of the cowling and was spot welded thereto. The area of contact of the rainhat flange with the cowling was sealed to prevent the inflow of water. After the tubular shaped member was weldably attached to the flared opening of the cowling, a screen had to be attached over the tubular shaped member to prevent the ingestion of leaves or other debris into the heating and ventilation system. The screen was weldably attached to an encircling metallic band. The metallic band was either fixed to the tubular shaped member by welding, fasteners or clips. The screen was joined along its sides to the metallic band and typically had a generally flat top end.
Prior rainhats suffered from several problems. The first problem was the cost. The prior rainhat had a tubular shaped member, a metal band, three clips and a wire mesh screen. The screen (and encircling metallic band) could not be placed on the tubular shaped member until the tubular shaped member was assembled into the vehicle since the spot welding guns had to be inserted within the tubular shaped member during the fabrication process. Additionally, it was not uncommon for the spot welds to break. When the spot weld breaks, typically a portion of the tubular shaped member or of the flared opening is torn leaving a crack which gives a potential for the ingestion of rain water into the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system air intake. To protect the ends of the screen, the screen was usually inserted into the encircling metallic band. This allowed a potential gap between the screen and the top end of the encircling metallic band to be created. The above noted gap could allow for the entry of leaves or other debris which could then become stuck and clog up the air intake opening by being sucked against the screen.
It is desirable to provide a rainhat which can be affixed with the flared opening of the cowling without the expense of a welding operation. It is also desirable to provide a rainhat which is cheaper to manufacture. It is still another desire to provide a rainhat which is lighter allowing the vehicle to have an increase in gas mileage and thereby increase the environmental efficiency of the vehicle.
To meet the above-noted desires, the revelation of the present invention is brought forth. The present invention provides the freedom of a single integral rainhat which may be adhesively and sealably connected with an automotive vehicle without the utilization of any welding. Furthermore, in a preferred embodiment, the present invention brings forth a high temperature injection molded polymeric rainhat which can be fabricated in a single drawn injection machine. Furthermore, the present invention provides a rainhat which is cheaper, easier to install and which additionally can be formed in a shape which discourages the entrapment of leaves or other articles which can clog up the openings.
In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a high temperature injection molded polymeric rainhat for a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning air intake of an automotive vehicle having a cowling with a generally planar surface encircling a flared opening. The rainhat includes a flange for adhesively and sealably joining to a portion of the generally planar cowling encircling the flared opening.
A water dam is integrally joined to the flange and is extending therefrom. The water dam has an interior surface closely engaging the flared opening of the cowling and extends upwards beyond a vertical end of the flared opening. The water dam has an extreme upper edge forming an opening. A foreign matter ingestion preventer is also included. The foreign matter ingestion preventer has a plurality of first curvilinear supports extending in a first direction over the water dam upper edge opening. Each first support has opposite ends joined with the water dam, and each first support has a middle portion domed above the opening of the water dam. Each first support has a tapered exterior side. The foreign matter ingestion preventer also has plurality of second supports intersecting with the first curvilinear supports. Each second support has a middle portion being domed above the water dam. Each second support has a tapered exterior side. A surface area of the foreign matter ingestion preventer minus the surface area defined by the transverse dimensions of the first and second supports is generally equal to or greater than the area defined by the opening of the upper edge of the water dam.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an injection molded rainhat for the air intake of an automotive heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system.
The above-noted objects and other advantages of the present invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art as the invention is further explained in the accompanying detailed description and drawings.